So, now is a good time to reflect on the work we did over
the winter: (1) Did we accomplish what we set out to do? (2) Did we make
progress? (3) Did the level of confidence of horses and riders improve? (4)
And, very important: Did we have fun?
I can honestly say YES to all of the above! The five (yes,
five!) of us learned a lot, made huge progress, and our levels of confidence
increased. And yes, FUN was part of it, too.
It is very difficult to find the right person to work with
as a trainer/instructor/coach. It’s a very personal relationship, with a lot of
trust required on both sides. In addition, the chemistry has to jive; the work
ethic, riding style, management of the horses, etc. etc. need to be on the same
level. Now, that is a challenge for one person with one horse. In our case it
got exacerbated: Two people with three horses. Good thing Judy was more than up
to the challenge! She had me figured out pretty quickly (am I that
transparent?!) and our personal styles are a really great match. And in times
of stress: German chocolate and Nutella will do the trick.
Remy was a bit of a puzzle, and Judy patiently chipped away
by eliminating the hurdles, i.e. teeth, accepting the leg, and switching from
heavy egg-butt snaffle to a lighter lose ring snaffle. Saumur finally found his
long lost confidence; and well, JP and Chambord are “pflegeleicht” = the
easiest of our bunch. It’s just fun to watch them work together, and both have
come a long way.
I am proud of all of ‘the boys’ – and I do enjoy sharing them (the four-legged ones only!) with Judy.
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